Town Square

Gas Tax Increased

Original post made
by local, Another Pleasanton neighborhood,
on Mar 1, 2013

Here is one of those tax increases that just occurred in California. The Gas tax increase was voted upon by the Board of Equalization (those guys who collect our taxes). Starting July 1 the gas tax will be going from 36 cents per gallon to 39.6 cents per gallon.

This tax increase is allowed without the legislature approval after our previous governor did some shell games with taxes and swapped taxes to allow them to raise certain taxes without the public knowing.

This slight of hand is an insult to Californians. The swap originally lowered the sales tax and swapped it with an additional excise tax. Now we have an additional excise tax PLUS our sales tax went up with prop 30. Adding insult to injury, they are now increasing the excise tax.

Posted by liberalism is a disease
a resident of Birdland
on Mar 1, 2013 at 4:01 pmliberalism is a disease is a registered user.

The only consolation is that impacts everyone, so the usual class envy that gets played so often by dems isn't in play here. Driving will be more expensive, all merchandise that is shipped via vehicles powered by gasoline will increase and everyone will feel it. Amazing how one decision unilaterally made can have the same impact as years of inflation on our state economy.

Posted by A Neighbor
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Mar 2, 2013 at 10:06 am

The need for these new taxes is less tax revenue is generated if less gas is purchased. The number of hybrids on the roads has skyrocketed in CA, and gas tax revenues dropped accordingly. It is the result of a natural progression in the marketplace toward less gasoline consumption. No big conspiracy here, and certainly unrelated to the sequester.

Posted by local
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Mar 2, 2013 at 6:32 pm

The new taxes are here because the legislature passed a law previously that allows the board of equalization to increase the tax, under the radar.

As to a comment above, the increase is for gasoline but not diesel so it will not increase the price of most deliveries. I do agree that it is at least good that this tax affects everybody the same, not the class warfare that has been going on. Low income people will ALWAYS vote for a tax increase that does not affect them. When tax increases affect everybody, then people can then make a more honest determination on whether the tax is needed.

Posted by reality checker
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Mar 4, 2013 at 9:55 am

Gas tax goes in part to repairing our roads. I hear people complain all the time about the road conditions. How do you all that don't want to pay for anything think things are going to get done? The cost of everything keeps rising. I'm sure if we, like many states, make almost all highways toll, that would upset you also. I am so sick of so many people who make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year bitch about the people who work twice as hard for minimum wage. I know many more in the first group who are lazy and spend half their work week playing golf than lazy people in the second group. Geesh! You chose, as I do, to drive an SUV that you paid $45k+ for and gets lousy gas mileage. You live with the choices you make.

Posted by local
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Mar 4, 2013 at 5:04 pm

We keep giving more and more taxes but things are not looking better.

"reality checker", are you saying there are city workers working at minimum wage to fix the roads? If so, you are SO informed. The average salary for non-management is $85,000 in Pleasanton. Not too shabby especially with all the other benefits on top of that and the job security.

While I believe there are somethings that need more funding, the government at all levels has proven time and time again that they cannot manage money. Just look at the $5.6M being spent on a party on the new bay bridge as one example. I would pay more in taxes if I knew it was going to be well spent but my experience has shown me otherwise. We keep hearing that if we give more money, they will spend it wisely. I want them to prove it first. Spend the money they currently have wisely and then I might think about giving more.

Posted by Common Sense Guy
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Mar 5, 2013 at 8:50 am

The comment about the $5.6 million for the dedication/party of the new Bay Bridge is from CA tax money! I may be wrong but I had heard this money is acquired through various private entities and not from the CA tax payers.

Posted by local
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Mar 5, 2013 at 2:13 pm

Common Sense Guy, the $5.6 million is not coming from private entities. If it were being paid for by private funding, people would not have a problem. I guess the government needs to celebrate their new record for going over budget on a project.

Don't miss out on the discussion!Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic.

Email:

Post a comment

Posting an item on Town Square is simple and requires no registration. Just complete this form and hit "submit" and your topic will appear online.
Please be respectful and truthful in your postings so Town Square will continue to be a thoughtful gathering place for sharing community information
and opinion. All postings are subject to our TERMS OF USE, and may be deleted if deemed inappropriate by our staff.

We prefer that you use your real name, but you may use any "member" name you wish.

Name:*

Select your neighborhood or school community:*

Comment:*

Verification code:* Enter the verification code exactly as shown, using capital and lowercase letters, in the multi-colored box.